Sunday, October 23, 2005
The Union State
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 This week it is all about the new Rogue Traders album. We would have previewed this for you on Friday but the amount of server bullshit we had to sift through to get our bloody Australian Princess update online was enough of a headache, so we convinced ourselves to stay very clear of the site until at least Sunday evening.
So this new Aussie release. It's really quite good. No, reeeaaally quite good. All up, 12 tracks, with only one of them being a dud filler, and only one being a crazy Janet-like interlude.
The Rogue Traders, who consist of James Ash, Stevie D and recent addition, Neighbours star Natalie Bassingthwaite (and their nameless drummer is strangely on the cover as well), have been filling the ears of Australians with good quality dance music for more than just the last 24 months. They may have indeed come far since their rather annoying INXS sampling "One of my Kind" from a few years back, or since their amazing first few singles "I Need You To Show Me" and the 'shoulda-been-number-one-for-months' "Give Into Me", but do any of you remember an act by the name of Union State? They had some corker tunes including "The One", "Out To Getcha" and "Retrosexual". Remember Thunderchild? Anyone who owns a Wild FM Compilation CD will surely fondly recall such anthems as "B Boys To The Dancefloor" and, er, "Thunderchild". These were all the masterworkings of James Ash and Stevie D.
The boys began their reign of dance when they worked over at Melbourne's 89.9 Hitz FM (R.I.P.), where the two were on-air jocks. Cut a long story short, they've pushed and worked ever-so hard on getting their sounds heard, they are now probably the biggest pop band in the country and will, hopefully, take over the world very soon.
But onto the album. It's called "Here Come The Drums"...
BELIEVER
Quite the ferocious opener, with a dirty guitar intro which leads Natalie into singing "Just come on and say you love me/One more time what you waiting for/I just got paid I won't be lonely/So take my hand, what you waiting for?/I'm a believer". Strong and solid way to open an album filled with potential singles... 9.5/10
VOODOO CHILD
First single that introduced Natalie the vocalist to the world. Not only one of the bands stronger moments, but probably the best Australian release this year by a longshot. 10/10
WAY TO GO!
Second single (which has debuted at number #15 on the Aria charts) which boasts the legendary line "Fake it baby, they won't even know". Charmingly good, with Nat almost breaking into a feisty rap. 9/10
WORLD GO ROUND
Sounding like a vocally gifted Holly Valance, Natalie coo's and aah's about not being "That type of girl, but you're my type of guy/Come a little closer darlin', and I'll show you why". This is what the Bodyrockers only dream they sounded like. 8/10
RESCUE ME
Unfortunately, no, this isn't an electro-pop cover of the Madonna classic. Instead it's a rather wishy-washy ballad that sounds more like a bit of an after-thought rather than a solid album track. Still, it's a lot better than most of the shit in the charts at the moment, ballad or not. 6/10
WATCHING YOU
Will be a big favourite when played live, and within the first 10 seconds, it's easy to see why. Heavily sampling The Knack's "My Sharona", as great as it is - sounds a little too much like 'Voodoo Child'. However hearing Natalie sing "I need a little edge with my electro-pop" makes up for any disappointment found within the song. 8/10
CHANGE THE CHANNEL
Interlude. Which has some great 2 second beat samples through it that we'd like to hear more of. 7/10
WE'RE COMING HOME
The first track that really screams "Possible single release", the heavy use of guitars is still laced through out this number, but sounds unlike anything on the whole album. Quite possibly what the last Garbage album should have sounded like. 10/10
FASHION
Another one that's all a bit like "Voodoo Child", sounds like a Cheyne Coates album off-cut rather than something that should have ended up on the Rogue Traders album. But once again, in comparison to other things out at the moment, it's really quite good. 7/10
WHITE LIGHTNING
Possibly a bit too obscure to be a single, but with an infectiously arse-shaking electro-breakbeat groove like this, it probably should be. Not only does Natalie sing "The doctors say it's over/They think I've gone insane", but she has a few amazing screaming moments. Divine really. 9.5/10
IN LOVE AGAIN
If there were any justice in the world, not only would this be the next single, but it would be Number #1 in ever single country in the universe. Swapping the heavy-rock guitar sound for a keyboard-synth, this is not only the most club-friendly moment on the album, but probably the best. Natalie's voice is intensely sharp and on-the-ball through the entire 5 minutes, and the vocoder background vocals supplied by Mr James Ash add to the electrifying mood of this song. Surely this must be shared with the world. 10/10
CASTING ASIDE
Natalie does not sing on this one. Instead it's Rogue Trader James Ash who takes to the microphone for this rather filler-ballad. A bit of a disappointment to end the album this way, but at least we can safely say the man sounds alright on vocals. This will grow on you after a few listens... 6.5/10
So overall, this is a very strong album. The Rogue's prove they're here to stay for a few more years, and Natalie shows us an exquisitely remarkable display of being the most exciting pop star the country has seen in years. Mark my words: This is probably going to be the 4th most important album you buy this year.
Overall trading cards out of 10? I'll say 9. Close to being a full 10 but not quite.
"Here Come The Drums" out nationally tomorrow through SonyBMG.Labels: Album Reviews, Australian Pop, Rogue Traders
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